Ride Wright wheels is the premiere maker of spoked rims in the USA. The make 40, fat 50, 60, 80, and 120 spoked rims. They also have various new forged rims that will be available soon. They are well known for sealing their rims so that you can run spokes tubeless. They offer a limited lifetime guarantee on their sealed rims. This is extremely important to me as I would much prefer to run a wheel that is tubeless just in case I get a flat in the middle of nowhere.
I had the pleasure to spend half the day at Ride Wrights manufacturing facility last week and was given a tour and shown their manufacturing process by the owner Sam Wakim. First I met the beautiful Danielle who greeted me with a large smile and a hug. She is a sweet heart.
This was after Daytona bike week had already started so half of Sam’s bikes were already gone to the show.
Upon entering the shop portion of their facility I was greeted by numerous machines that were busy making parts for their wheels. All of their wheels are manufactured on site and they make all the parts for all of them. This is pretty impressive in this day and age of outsourcing. CNC’s were busy cutting hubs, rotors, spokes, rims, everything needed to put together a quality American made product for the hardcore enthusiast.
Sam explained the entire process of their manufacture to me. Parts of this were a bit over my head as I am not a machinist by any standards. The most interesting to me was watching a fat 50 spoke rim being laced. There are 3 gauges hooked up to the truing machine and tolerances are measured on everything to ensure that the wheel will come out perfect. This is no fly by night operation. They take their time and do it right the first time, every time.
They have quite a few new wheel designs that I was very interested in as well. I really like the new fat 80 spoke rim, but was told that they do not make it in a 21” rim size. Why you ask? They have ruled that 80 fat spokes will put too much pressure on the rim, weakening the rim. This is exactly the kind of information that makes a trip like this well worth while. Sure there are other companies that make fat 100 spokes, but if Sam says that it’s too much, I take his word for it as he only manufactures a high quality product that will stand the test of time. I was planning on ordering a new set of rims while I was there but I was unable to decide what to get as I was so overwhelmed by all the choices. Seeing everything in person had and how it was all made really had my head spinning.
It was very interesting to learn that every set of tubeless spokes that they sell with tiers mounted and balanced sits for a full 24 hours prior to being packaged up (in their own special boxes made for rims) to ensure that they are holding. If the tire leaks during that 24 hours it is taken apart and relaced only to spend another 24 hours sitting to pass the Ride Wright test. Keep in mind that if your order a set of their rims and they seems to be taking a long time for them to get delivered, that they must pass this rigorous test prior to being shipped. I would much rather have a sealed rim that stays sealed than a rush job any day of the week.
They offer powder coating of the rims, hubs, nipples, and spokes in every color of the rainbow. A friend of mine has a 2008 anniversary model Harley and has their rims with copper spokes to match the paint job and it is one of the most stunning sets of wheels I have ever seen.
If you want a rim that has a perfect fit every time and has been held up to Sam’s extremely high standards, then Ride Wright is the company for you. They make wheels for all Harley’s, including the new Tri Glide model. While I was there Sam received a call from bike building legend Ron Finch who was in Daytona beach awaiting a new set of Ride Wrights for his custom built trike.
I have no problem spending my hard earned money with an industry leader such as Ride Wright and will gladly get wheels from them as long as long as I am riding. I have seen it all in person and this is more than enough to have gained my business forever. Now for some pics. Please pardon some of the pics as they are a little out of focus. The lighting was a little off in the manufacturing portion of their facility.
If you need info on these products feel free to call the shop or email me at palmsapts@gmail.com
Drew
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